Correction
by Alia Inverse
Summary: One-shot. Once Robin realized the identity of that blond Revolutionary and his relationship with her captain, it became the one secret she would not keep.


Robin was, first by necessity and then by habit, a highly secretive person. She understood better than almost anyone just how far people (whether they were individuals or organizations, or even—no, especially the World Government) were willing to go to prevent certain facts from being known.

And while a part of her would always despise secrets (that had taken her mother, her childhood, and her home away) another larger part had accepted that secrets were an inevitable part of life.

Because of this, she had known that their latest adventure could not possibly go smoothly.

It had seemed rather straight forward at first; a new island, an unfortunate accident and against any logic (even by the warped logic of the New World) the members of the Straw Hat crew had been catapulted into the memories of their captain. While it had been a bit uncomfortable at first, there was really nothing they could do about it but enjoy the show; and knowing that there was nothing inside the black-haired boy's memories that would hurt them (physically or otherwise, because he was too naïve and too _good_ to ever disappoint them) they had simply taken it in stride.

But one particular discovery had been haunting her since shortly after the memories had begun playing and the scenery had moved to the rainforest. Since the moment the blond boy had first appeared, cursing and threatening Luffy only to then save his life and become his brother and then die in the sea, shot down by a World Noble.

Only, he_ hadn't _died_._

Robin understood the necessity of secrets. There was, however, a fine line between keeping a secret and telling a lie, and a lie by omission was still a lie.

For a short while she did wonder if it would not be best to just forget about it. It was nothing of her business after all, neither the twelve-years-old pledge nor that one more revolutionary who owed his life to Dragon. The older brother had had years to make a choice or to initiate contact; surely he had his reasons to not do so. Who was she to interfere with such a private matter?

A couple of years ago, it would not have been a problem at all. In fact, had this entire ordeal happened before the War, she might have done just that and keep it quiet—But the War had changed everything.

Or rather… Portgas D. Ace's fate had changed everything.

What would she give, even now after finally having found her precious nakama, to know that even one of the librarians in Ohara had survived? What would she do if she were to learn now that Saul had survived, even if that meant that he wasn't there when she needed him most?

Having shared a dream with other people once, and having lost them all, Robin knew that what hurt the most was not that those persons would never see it coming true; it was the fact that the dream turned fragile when there was only one person left to see it through. It was knowing that one's own life was the only thing that prevented that dream from vanishing from existence, as if it had never existed.

That if you died now, it would be as if all those conversations and daydreams and silly speculations had never happened.

And knowing that she could not leave her captain with that ache; if either way she would be betraying someone, she would not betray the man who had saved her. She just hoped this was the right decision.

Robin waited until it was late at night, when the rest were asleep before making her way to the crow's nest, where Luffy was keeping watch. He greeted her enthusiastically, glad to have a distraction from the boring task, and the archeologist nodded, still wondering about how to say what she wanted.

Slowly she slid down the wall, until they were sitting side by side. The teen looked her movements with a bemused expression, and then, almost without noticing the words she was already using, she spun the tale of a man, a fighter with a weakness for top hats, whose arms and chest were deformed by the unmistakable scars of the fire. She didn't know their origin; that had been the man's secret to keep.

She spoke about how the man's gaze would turn to the East when he was lost in thought, how he pressed his lips in fury when he learned of the misgivings of nobles on some lost island, and the strange glint in his eyes when she relented and told him something about her crew. How she had never once in two years seen him drink sake, even when everyone around him did. Robin talked about how he made the distinction between them (Revolutionaries) and her (a Straw hat) better than anyone, other than Dragon and Ivankov. And also of the regret; the lingering, ever-lasting regret.

At last she ran out of words, just as the sky began turning pink in the horizon. The shadows of the early morning had prevented her from seeing his expressions during the story, and even now his head was bowed and his eyes obscured from her view.

They didn't move for a long time, each immersed in their own thoughts. Finally Luffy broke the silence with a whisper.

"… He survived?"

She turned to meet his gaze, still waiting. The silence was becoming less heavy; the ghosts of the past were disappearing as the first sun rays crept inside. Robin inclined her head in something similar to a nod, and with that gesture his shoulders squared and he nodded to himself, seeming to arrive to a conclusion. When he lifted his head, pushing his hat out of the way, the archeologist was startled to see a smile that looked somewhat out of place, yet still fit in a strange way.

"I decided! The next time we meet, I'm gonna punch him in the face!"

Robin fought to hide an amused chuckle, and smiled fondly at her captain. "Are you sure? He is very strong."

"Ah, yeah, I've never beaten him before… I'll have to take him by surprise then. Don't tell, alright?"

"Of course, captain."

One day, the two remaining brothers would meet again, and everything would be revealed. In the meantime… it could be their secret.

* * *

**This fic is dedicated to the awesome authors who write memory fics, so from here I say thanks and keep up the great work! d(^^)b**


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